A Sudden Dose of Reality
by Penybright
Summary: I've revised the first chapter and changed some minor things. You might want to reread it.
1. Witness to the Night's Dangers

~ Okay, this is my first Weiss Kreuz fic, so please excuse any mistakes. If there are any major ones, tell me, but don't be nasty about it. I like criticism, but it HAS to be CONSTRUCTIVE... Also, this fic has an OC, so be warned. Note: I have revised this chapter. It starts from Ran's P.O.V. I personally think it's a lot better now. 

Disclaimer: He's not mine! They're not mine! I wish they were, but they're not... 

A Sudden Dose of Reality 

Chapter 1 

By: Penybright 

Orchid eyes flickered about the crowded room, taking in the details. His eyes caught on a figure wrapped in shadows before sliding over to the ballroom entry doors. As he had suspected, he was still being watched. He'd managed to infiltrate the group easily enough months ago, but they still distrusted him. It was beginning to get irritating. Did they think he didn't know he was being followed everywhere he went? 

Vibrant red bangs fell over lilac irises, shadowing them from view as his expression darkened. They had reason to distrust him; even fear him. Fujimiya Ran, and the lethal blade of his katana, would be the last thing they saw before the fires of hell consumed them. 

'_If they ever stop watching me,_'Ran sighed mentally. This mission was not his cup of tea. It was more along the lines of something Yohji was suited for. But as luck would have it, Yohji was stuck in bed with two cracked ribs from their last mission, Omi was too young, and Ken would never be able to pull the undercover aspect off. 

"Abyssinian." 

Ran glanced over at the man who had stated the name he was using. 

"Imari-san," Ran nodded respectfully. 

"Why don't you go have a little fun?" The older man smirked, a gleam in his cool gray eyes. 

"My priority is your protection... Imari-san, not having _fun_." 

"Very well," he sighed. "I just wish you'd enjoy the finer points of life." 

Ran internally seethed as he watched his Boss saunter away. The man was so... arrogant. It didn't help that he thought nothing of taking another's life. Imari Hoji was a ruthless man. 

Once Imari was lost in the sea of people, Ran flipped his wrist to glance as the face of his watch. It would only be a few more minutes until the hit went down. He surveyed the room once more, looking for anything suspicious or out of place. His eyes caught on a young woman making her way to the balcony. If she went out there now... Ran quickly began to weave his way through the masses, trying to reach her before she saw too much. Just as he reached the balcony doors the man who had been following him all night, Torshi, stepped in his way. 

"Where do you think you're going, Abyssinian?" 

"Outside." 

"You're suppose to be heading out to the parking lot." 

"I'm just checking to make sure there are no loose ends before I go," Ran deadpanned. Torshi seemed to consider his explanation. 

"Very well," Torshi replied, sending a suspicious glance back Ran's way as he melted into the crowd. Ran leveled a glare at his retreating form before slipping out the balcony's double doors. As soon as the door softly clicked shut behind him, he heard the muted sound of a gunshot, and knew he was too late. 

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The harmonic notes of Faure's Berceuse floated softly through the open archway, framed by dark, carved mahogany doors. Sounds of muted chatter drifted to Iriai's keen ears as she approached the entrance of the large ballroom. With a resigned sigh, she straightened her back, squared her shoulders, and stepped into the dimly lit room. Green eyes flecked with amber surveyed the mass of people, darting around the room and coming to rest on one person. He seemed an oddity among the sea of black tuxedoes, red hair contrasting brightly against the morbid black. Her eyes slid from the unusual man, to the people surrounding him. Iriai's eyes narrowed in recognition, before returning to normal as she skirted the buffet table and disappeared into the crowd. Tonight was going to be a very long night indeed. 

Mita Iriai was a young woman of 20 years. She had been invited to the posh party that evening due to her recent success. She was now the author of a national bestseller, and possibly an international bestseller. She had been reluctant at first, knowing that she wasn't a very social person. Her friends had pushed and prodded her until she had given in, and here she was. She was miserable, her feet were killing her, and she could feel a migraine approaching ominously. To make matters worse, several young men in the room had decided to make her their target for the evening. 

_'With fame and fortune comes leeching men who want your money,' _Iriai groaned mentally. 

"Excuse me miss, but---" 

"I'm terribly sorry," Iriai cut in. "But I need a breath of fresh air." 

The young man nodded, melting back into the sea of people. The first notes of Warlock's Cariol Suite picked up as Iriai wove her way to the balcony, letting out a breath of relief as cool air touched her warm skin. Once safely outside, she allowed her arms to uncross and relax. Formal dresses were always to revealing for her taste, and the one she was wearing was no exception. It was a sleeveless ordeal, cut to low for her taste, with a rather form fitting bodice and floor-length skirt. The color was about the only thing she liked about the dress. It was made of a satiny material that shimmered in the dull light, sometimes appearing black and sometimes a deep blue. Her long reddish-brown hair had been pulled up to show off her back, which the dress showed plenty of. She couldn't remember how her friend had managed to convince her to get the thing. The more she thought about it, the more she loathed what she was wearing. 

A scuffle below interrupted her inward thoughts, and she peered over the chiseled balcony to see better. Iriai clapped a hand over her mouth as she saw the dull glint of metal, and recognized it to be a gun. Eyes wide with horror, she watched as the gun was fired on a man being held down by three other men. Swallowing convulsively, she took several steps back, letting out a strangled squeak as she bumped into something. Whirling around, she saw the red head she had noted from earlier. His cool lavender eyes sent chills down her spine, and she did the first thing that came to mind; she tried to flee. 

A yelp of pain permeated the evening air as he caught her arm, yanking her along with him. Tears sprung to Iriai's eyes at the painful grip like a vice on her arm. Thoughts ran through her mind in an incoherent jumble as panic began to eat away at her. She stumbled along behind her captor, a small whimper of uncertainty escaping her lips. 

"W- who are you?" Iriai stuttered, trying to twist free. "What do you want?" 

She was answered with silence and the grip on her arm tightening. Why wouldn't he speak? How long had he been behind her on the balcony? What was going to happen to her? 

Iriai stumbled forward as her arm was released, maintaining her balance just before she would have toppled to the pavement. 

"What have we hear?" an oily voice rasped thickly. 

"She saw." 

That was it, two words. Two words that let Iriai know her life was hanging in the balance. She glanced quickly between the two men, trying to glean some insight as to what was to be done with her. 

"It's unusual of you to let someone live that's witnessed one of our jobs," the man said thoughtfully. An unsettling pair of gray eyes scrutinized the young woman standing in their midst. 

"Do you have some use for her?" he asked with a leering smirk. Iriai choked, her eyes blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay. Surely they wouldn't... 

"Hn." 

She felt her knees go weak as she sunk to the pavement. Death was a far better option. She didn't want to be... This couldn't be happening! 

"Please..." Her voice was barely a whisper, choked and strained. The gray eyed man laughed at the pitiful display she made. 

"You expect us to let you go?" he mocked, chuckling darkly. 

"I don't expect anything from murderers," Iriai spat venomously, a few tears spilling down her cheeks. 

Without a word, the red head grabbed her arm once more, hauling her to her feet. 

"Show respect to the Boss," he intoned, before yanking on her arm and dragging Iriai away with him. She found herself roughly shoved into the back-seat of a car. A nice car, too. The seats were leather, and it appeared to be fully loaded, along with the added bonus of a sunroof. She could have cared less about the car though. Her mind was furiously thinking of ways to escape. She knew that if she didn't at least try, there would be no hope for her. If she knew who her captor really was, she would never have even consider escape, but Iriai was unaware of his true identity. To her, he was an enemy and her executioner. 

````````````````````````````````````` 

Ran slid quietly into the drivers seat. He hadn't heard a sound escape the young woman since her little outburst. She shouldn't have been out on the balcony. He had tried to intercept her before she went outside, but had been waylaid by a fellow member. By all rights, she should be dead. He should have killed her, like the Boss said. But, she was an innocent. He was supposed to protect people like her, not murder them. And that was where his problem lie. How was he going to keep her safe after she had witnessed one of their hits? He had half a mind to drop her off at the Koneko with a note for the others. He didn't want to have to deal with a hormonal female while on an undercover assignment. Taking her to the Koneko would draw attention there, though, and he couldn't afford that. He couldn't chance the possibility that he would be discovered. Too much rested on this mission. 

A quick glance in the rearview mirror revealed that she was... glaring at him? He _almost_ smirked at her naiveté. Did she honestly think that glaring at him would do her any good? She had no idea who she was dealing with... Their gazes connected in the mirror and sparks flew, amethyst clashing with emerald. Ran had finally met an equal in the glaring department. It was like a slap in the face and blow to his pride. 

"You should watch where you're going," she intoned without breaking her gaze. Ran blinked and pulled his eyes back to the road. 

_'Damn...'_

~ Poor Ran... his death glare was countered by reason. What a shame... *snicker* 


	2. A Little Drop of Blood

~ Chapter 2 is finally here! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I'm trying to get chapters out quickly, but I write multiple fics at one time, so... *Special note: Thanks to Mandy for the name of "Torshi"! Thank you so much! Thanks to your quick thinking, my writing flow was uninterrupted! And now... on to chapter 2! 

Disclaimer: Yeah, that's right. Yet another set of anime characters that don't belong to me... Well, at least Iriai's mine... 

A Sudden Dose of Reality 

By: Penybright 

Chapter 2 

Iriai intently watched the raught iron gates slide open. They appeared to be entering a large estate. Limestone walls enclosed the property, keeping unwanted visitors out and prying eyes blind to the goings on inside. The lawn was a lustrous green, trimmed neatly and well taken care of. Decorative shrubs lined the drive, interspersed with ornate statuary. 

Ran glanced back at his silent passenger, watching her scrutinize the grounds like a hawk watching its prey. There was just something odd about her... No one _ever_ challenged the Fujimiya Glare of Death. It wasn't, well, normal. She looked normal enough... He wouldn't have to worry about his strange passenger for a while once she was locked safely away in a room. He'd let her stew in a locked room for a bit, until she calmed down. Yes, she was definitely odd... 

Iriai knew he was watching her, and she knew that he was going to get rid of her soon. The building before them looked harmless, but she wondered if there weren't torture chambers hidden within. Anything was possible at this point. The driver quirked his eyebrow when he heard a lowly muttered sentence, catching the words "laptop" and "plot". Shifting the vehicle to park, he cut the ignition and gracefully stepped out of the car. Opening the back door, he quickly snatched the arm of his captive as she tried to bolt. He was answered with a hiss and a distasteful look. Ran responded with an almost unnoticeable, indifferent shrug, pulling her with him to the front door. 

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The moment they stepped inside the large entryway, The fear that had begun to wear off slowly began to seep back into Iriai's veins. Several pairs of eyes turned to look at her, and she suddenly felt very exposed. The grip on her arm tightened as she unconsciously tried to slip behind her captor, using him as a shield. Smirks and leers followed the pair as Iriai was drug tripping and stumbling up the large staircase. She was flung into a room, and the door promptly shut in her face. Ran quickly locked the wooden barrier, waiting for the screams and pounding, but was only met with silence. Slipping the key back in his breast pocket, he descended the stairs, unaware that Iriai was watching him intently through the keyhole. 

Reaching the last stair, Ran was met with several of his comrades. He set his jaw as the jeers began. 

"So, finally find yourself a woman," one man drawled lazily, the corners of his mouth quirking insolently. His comment was answered with snickers at Ran's expense. 

"The great Abyssinian finally finds a girl, and what does he do? Locks her in a room! He's wasting good flesh if you ask me." 

The others quickly nodded in agreement. 

"No," Ran deadpanned. 

"If you're not going to enjoy what she has to offer, someone else might as well enjoy it," a burly man sneered. 

"You won't lay a finger on her," Ran responded, voice still monotone, before finding himself thrust into a fray of flying fists. He managed to avoid most of the blows until one caught him on the chin. In that one moment of dazed uncertainty, one of the gangsters drew a switchblade, and lunged at him. Ran twisted, managing to lessen what would have been a serious wound. He grimaced as the sharp blade sliced through fabric and flesh, dark red staining his tuxedo jacket an odd purplish color. Pain fueling his anger, he lashed out, quickly finishing the fight that never should have been instigated. 

Highly peeved that his plans were now delayed, Ran began to make his way back up to his room. He'd have to tend to his wounds and change before he could leave the estate. The lock clicked open, and he swung the door open violently, only to be met with the scene of his captive stumbling backwards in haste. Her wide eyes flickered from his stony expression to his bleeding arm anxiously. 

_'Damn, why did they have to be watching me tonight? I could have just left her there if Torshi hadn't been following me...'_

Ran's thoughts were interrupted by a tentative tug on the sleeve of his jacket. He looked down into uncertain hazel eyes, and saw the first aid kit she was holding up in her hand. He nodded, slipping off his jacket and working at the buttons of his shirt. She blushed when he sat down beside her on the bed, but the faint pink tinge quickly vanished when he glared. 

She silently cleaned his wounds and bandaged his arm without comment. Once finished she went to put the first aid kit back, and while she was absent, Ran quickly pulled on a polo shirt. He opened the door to leave just as she entered from the bathroom. He sent a meaningful glare her way before slamming the door shut and stalking downstairs. 

For some reason, her kindness towards him mad him angry. Hell, for all she knew, he could kill her in the next few hours. Why was she nice to him? It didn't make sense. She could have left him to bandage himself. It wasn't as though he had treated her with any sense of kindness. If anything, he'd been rather rude and harsh. 

Slamming the car into drive, he tore down the lane and out the gates, his thoughts drifting where he didn't want them to. He was going to find out who the heck she was, and get her out of his hair as soon as possible. The sooner, the better. Not for the first time since he had started the mission, he cursed fate for handing the undercover operation to him. 

~ Peachy, Ran's pissy... Wait, when isn't Ran pissy...? Oh well! Poor guy bit off more than he can chew. What a shame! *cackle* 


End file.
